Anthony Letizia

Anthony Letizia has been many things through the years, including an accountant, journalist, and playwright. From June 2014 to May 2019, he served on the board – as well as treasurer – of the ToonSeum, a nonprofit museum of the cartoon and comic arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, Letizia curated two exhibits, “To Boldly Go: The Graphic Art of Star Trek” (October 2016 to January 2017) and “Popology: An Exhibit of Pop Culture and Comics” (September 2017 to November 2017), as well as co-curated “Wonder Woman: Visions” (November 2017 to February 2018).

After a decades-long hiatus, Anthony Letizia completed his M.A. in History at Duquesne University in December 2024. He has used his history background to make a number of presentations in recent years on the ways that popular culture intersects with the real world. The list includes: “Superheroes Battle Pollution on the First Earth Day” poster presentation as part of the Comics Arts Conference at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024; “DC Comics and August 1986” at the Popular Culture Association Conference in Chicago in March 2024; and “Green Arrow as Social Justice Warrior” as part of the Comics Arts Conference at WonderCon in Anaheim in March 2023. He also organized/moderated a panel at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle in August 2022 entitled “A Green Arrow History of Seattle” and made a brief “Marvel Comics History of the 1960s” presentation at the virtual Popular Culture Association conference in April 2022.

Although still an accountant by day, at night Anthony Letizia is a strong proponent and true believer in the power of Geek Culture. He can be reached at anthony@geekfrontiers.com.

 

Comic-Con Museum

San Diego Comic-Con opened the offshoot museum in November 2021 as a way to expand their traditional five-day pop culture convention into a celebration that can last throughout the year.

Harley Quinn Invades San Diego Comic-Con

The popular DC character attended her first San Diego Comic-Con in a 2014 one-shot comic book, coming face-to-face with actual creators, artists, and a slew of Harley Quinn cosplayers.

Dazzler: The Debt

In 1983, the mutant singing sensation finds herself in San Diego with real-world Marvel editor Ralph Macchio during a comics convention that is disrupted by a fellow mutant-slash-dinosaur.

Champions: Who Is The Red Locust?

A 2017 issue of Marvel’s Champions comic book featured the first appearance of the Red Locust, an indigenous female superhero who protects teen runaways in the city of San Diego.

Rain City Superhero Movement

During the early half of the 2010s, Seattle had a team of real-life superheroes patrolling the streets, confronting drug dealers, helping the homeless, and protecting their local communities.

Mr. Xtreme: Real Life Superhero

The 2011 documentary Superheroes spotlights Mr. Xtreme, who patrols the streets of San Diego, as part of the film’s exploration of the Real Life Superhero Movement within the United States.

Superman Is An Immigrant

In 2013, the Harry Potter Alliance teamed with Define American to use the release of the Superman film Man of Steel to highlight immigration issues and undocumented Americans.

Hometown Heroes: Steve Ditko

The comic book artist and co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange was recognized in his childhood hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 2021with a summer-long celebration.

The Hidden Life of Trolls

Trolls from Scandinavian mythology invaded the Phipps Conservatory and Botanic Gardens in Pittsburgh during the summer of 2021 for a special exhibit featuring the mystical creatures.

Pop Warriors

Artist Lizbeth Eva Rossof created inflatable statues of her Xi’an-American Warriors, pop culture icons similar to China’s Terra Cotta Warriors, for a 2021 exhibit at the University of Wyoming.

Iron Man: Convention of Fear

During a brief trip to California in 1975, Iron Man became the first Marvel superhero to attend San Diego Comic-Con but the visit is cut short when three actual supervillains show up as well.

Green Arrow: Reunion Tour

In a 1992, the DC Comics superhero protects the last member of the Electric Unicorns, a Seattle band from the 1970s that rivaled the Beatles and whose other members had been murdered.